A risotto shouldn't be intimidating. It's actually a great way to cook as you get to take it slow and feel the dish coming together. Try this risotto with our homemade Veg Stock!
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups pumpkin - use frozen diced or Woolworths diced fresh pumpkin
3 tbsp olive or macadamia oil
2 tbsp woody herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme), finely chopped
2 litres homemade Veg stock, or similar
1 brown onion, diced
1 garlic clove, chopped
360g brown rice
1/2 cup macadamia nuts
1/4 preserved lemon, for garnish
1/2 bunch kale or spinach, finely chopped
Salt & Pepper
METHOD:
Preheat the oven to 180C. Toss pumpkin with a drizzle of oil, half the herbs and salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes, until just cooked. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Place veg stock in a pot on the stove and bring to the boil. Set aside.
In a heavy-based saucepan on medium-low heat add oil, onion, herbs and garlic and saute until soft and fragrant.
Add brown rice and half the roasted pumpkin and stir for 2 minutes to fry the rice. Add approximately 800g of the heated veg stock. Bring to the boil, and cover and turn the heat down to a simmer. Check the rice and stir frequently, topping up with more stock as needed for 45-60 minutes.
While the risotto is cooking, roast macadamias on a tray in the oven until golden. Remove and whilst hot, process half the nuts in a blender with half a cup of stock and season. This will make a macadamia cream to finish the risotto. Set aside.
Lightly crush the remaining macadamias and set aside for garlish. Thinly slice the preserved lemon rind and set aside.
Remove the lid from the cooked rice, add the remaining stock and kale, stirring until the rice is cooked. Once ready, stir in macadamia cream and seasonings. Fold through the remaining pumpkin.
Serve with a little preserved lemon on top, fresh herbs of your choice, and crushed macadamias.